Story+1984-07-21+Montreal,+QC

“Thank you…everybody…everybody needs someplace to go when they can’t go home…”
 * 21.07.84 Montreal, Canada, intro to “The River”**

“Alright, wait a minute now, boys…hold on now…alright…I gotta clean house for a minute…gotta scrub my own floor…it’s a dirty job, somebody’s gotta do it…how are you guys back there tonight? (crowd cheers) alright? (crowd cheers) alright!...this is a song…I wanna know who…do we have anybody out there over thirty years old tonight? (some cheers) got a few…anybody out there old as me? (some cheers) even fewer (chuckles) anybody out there old as Clarence? (some cheers) there can’t be that many of you out there that old (chuckles) but he looks good, still looks good (crowd cheers) this is a song about when you go out to a bar and you meet somebody…that, somebody you used to go to school with…and they start talking to you all about “Oh, I remember you when” and “Remember all the good times we had in high school?” and all that stuff…well, personally, I had a terrible time in high school (crowd cheers) I hated high school (crowd cheers) I still hate high school and I ain’t gone in twenty years! (crowd cheers) I hate to drive by a high school! (crowd cheers) I was terrible at everything, like I couldn’t, I was terrible at studying, I was terrible at sports, I was terrible at, uh…I got better at that, though, that’s the one (chuckles) got that one but…anyway, this is a song for…glory days … (…) Keep on rocking, boys…don’t be stopping now…’cause I hear that clock ticking away…every night and every day…says I’m 30… 31…32…33…34…thirty…”
 * 21.07.84 Montreal, Canada, intro to “Glory Days”**

“This is, uh…this is a song, when I was…when we were kids, I had a sister that was one year younger than me…and we were, we were real competitive because she used to do everything first…like she threw away her bottle first (chuckles) and, and (chuckles) and she could blow a bubble first, you know, all that, all that kind of stuff, or she could whistle first (chuckles)(crowd whistles)(chuckles) she was better than that (chuckles) anyway, she, uh, the only time we used to, the only time we used to get together on anything was when…was when my dad’d say “Well, we’re gonna go down to the car lot and pick out a new car” (some cheers) see, what, what my father meant by a new car was anything that was used and under five hundred dollars so (chuckles)…and we used to beg, we used to beg him for a convertible…when I was a kid, man, we…my father, he was, inside he was a convertible kind of guy except (chuckles) (some cheers) except he never quite, he never quite got there, but we used to go down and he’d end up picking out like a Rambler or a Studebaker or something and…hard-top, you know, four-door Sedan and…and then two months after that – my bedroom was right over the backyard and I’d hear him trying to get it started to go to work…anyway, when I grew up, when I was a kid, I swore that when I grew up I would ride nothing but convertibles ever again (chuckles) (crowd cheers) even when it rains (chuckles)…”
 * 21.07.84 Montreal, Canada, intro to “Used Cars”**

“I remember when I was, when I was fifteen and I…I got my first job playing the guitar…it was at a swim club (chuckles) it was like a Friday night dance, it was real exciting…but, uh…I remember, boy, I thought that I had it wired now ‘cause I figured, I figured I’d found some way that I would be able to avoid work for the rest of my life (chuckles)(crowd cheers) you know, avoid all responsibility (chuckles)…it was funny ‘cause when I kind of grew up and grew into it, it was, it was more than what I’d expected and it was less at the same time but uh…I started to write this song about the town I grew up in and uh…I guess it was in the end when I was kind of writing about, trying to write about was you get older, it seems like, uh, you can run but you can’t, you can’t hide any more from… from your responsibility of…of citizenship for whatever country…”
 * 21.07.84 Montreal, Canada, intro to “My Hometown”**

“Thanks (crowd cheers) we’re gonna…we’re gonna take a short break, I’m gonna change my wardrobe and we’ll be back out in a little while to get you…”
 * 21.07.84 Montreal, Canada, after “Thunder Road”**

“I’m in love now…”
 * 21.07.84 Montreal, Canada, after “Dancing in the Dark”**

“Oh, thanks…this is, uh…’bout when you’re…when you’re a kid, you dream…you dream a lot of dreams and you make a lot of promises to yourself…and I always consider myself kind of fortunate, fortunate son ‘cause…when I was young, I dreamed something and it came true (crowd cheers) this is a song for, for my buddy, Little Steven (crowd cheers) he was just in town not too long ago…he’s got, he’s got a real good album out now called “Voice of America” (crowd cheers) this is for him, wherever he is tonight...”
 * 21.07.84 Montreal, Canada, intro to “No Surrender”**

“Well, now, this is a song…about the conflict…between worldly things…and spiritual health…the conflict between…desires of the flesh…and spiritual ecstasy…between the mansion on the hill and the mansion in the sky…between a life…of spiritual satisfaction… and a life of fun – I mean, sin (crowd cheers) now, how many of you think that if by some chance – and I hope this doesn’t happen – you die tonight of excitement (crowd cheers) how many of you think you’ll be going to Heaven? (crowd cheers) now how many of you think - if you should pass away from cardiac arrest during the final moments of the show – you’d be taking the down elevator? (crowd cheers) that’s a fifty-fifty split – the devil is getting his due in this room…well, supposedly…there was a Garden of Eden…there was a man, there was a woman…there was an apple…there was a snake…there was temptation…and parked curb side, there was a pink Cadillac (crowd cheers)…”
 * 21.07.84 Montreal, Canada, intro to “Pink Cadillac”**

“In a little café on the other side…of Montreal (chuckles)(crowd cheers)… (…) Ladies and gentlemen…children of all ages…we have with us tonight…on this stage…a galaxy of stars…from all across…New Jersey (crowd cheers) is there anybody here from New Jersey? (some cheers) we won’t hold it against you – no, no (chuckles) beginning…to the far left…the most intelligent member of the band …the only member of the band with a full high school diploma – let’s hear it for education and Professor Roy Bittan (crowd cheers) on vocals, from Asbury Park, New Jersey: Miss Patti Scialfa (crowd cheers) on the bass, bringing you the thunder from down under, Mr. Garry W. Tallent (crowd cheers) on the drums, author, drummer…that’s about it…Mighty Max Weinberg on the drums…on the organ, the mysterious, the delirious, the incredible, the inevitable, the immoral, the unbelievable Phantom Dan Federici (crowd cheers) on the guitar - drum roll, please - Mr. Nils Lofgren… (Nils does his trampoline stunt)(crowd cheers) that’s incredible… and now last…but not least…a close personal friend of mine…do I have to say his name? (crowd cheers) do I have to say the man’s name? (crowd cheers) are you gonna make me say his name? (crowd cheers) then give me a C-L-A-R-E-N-C-E, what’s that spell? (crowd: “Clarence”) what’s that spell? (crowd: “Clarence”) what’s that spell? (crowd: “Clarence”) on the saxophone, Clarence “Big Man” Clemons (crowd cheers)…”
 * 21.07.84 Montreal, Canada, intro to “Rosalita”**

“This is, uh…I’d like to just take a minute and thank, thank everybody for coming down to the show tonight (crowd cheers) and uh…when I was a kid, I grew up in this little town and uh…I guess I wasn’t interested in much until, until I had my little transistor radio under my pillow and I heard…Elvis Presley and (crowd cheers) I guess, uh…the thing that his music said to me was just “Let freedom ring” and…that’s…that’s what…that’s what we’re here, that’s what this is all about so…remember you gotta fight for it…”
 * 21.07.84 Montreal, Canada, intro to “Born to Run”**

“That’s all I can stand…I can’t stand no more…are you ready to quit now? (crowd: “No”) are you ready to quit? (crowd: “No”) do you give up? (crowd: “No”) do you surrender? (crowd: “No”)… (…)(?)…I know you’re fading now (crowd: “No”) you’re gonna miss all them Kojak-re-runs if you don’t go now…you’re gonna miss Columbo…I was lying in my bed…about a month and a half ago…I had the window open…had my girl there…there was a breeze blowing through…I was saying “There’s no place like home”…but then through the window…way off in the distance…I heard a train… I heard a train (guitar sound like a train whistle) so I lay down and I tried to go back to sleep…I shut my eyes…I fell into a dream…and in my dream…I heard a train (guitar sound like a train whistle)…I heard a train (guitar sound like a train whistle)…then I heard the conductor…calling my name…(sings:) I heard a train…coming down the track…I heard a train…coming down the track…it was taking me away, don’t know if it’s gonna bring me back…I heard a train… coming down the line…I heard a train…coming down the line…it was taking me away, leave my baby behind…hold that thing, boys…and the conductor called out…”St. Paul…all aboard…Cincinnati…all aboard…Cleveland…all aboard…Chicago…all aboard…Wisconsin…all aboard…Montreal (crowd cheers) all aboard…all aboard…all aboard… all aboard…all aboard…”
 * 21.07.84 Montreal, Canada, intro to “Detroit Medley”**

//Compiled by Johanna Pirttijärvi//